Fragile
by Mesquite-O
Summary: Tsukune isn't average, he's a delinquent. He had gotten mixed in with the wrong crowd and now he wants to turn his life around. Now, an invitation to a remote academy is his windfall. Danger, however, isn't done with Tsukune just yet.
1. Apprehension

Chapter 1 | Apprehension

Tsukune pulled at his collar a final time before setting foot on the academy grounds for the first time. The sky was eerily red, but he blamed it on the early morning. The topography was barren and infertile. Twisted branches reached up to the sky and packets of grey grass and _skulls_ littered the ground. He gulped audibly and put both his feet on the ground, waving a final goodbye to the bus driver.

"You watch it kid, this academy can be an awfully scary place," the bus driver gave a toothy grin –grabbing his cigar a moment and motioning it in a circle near his neck. "Your collar is messed up kid." He closed the bus door and left Tsukune standing fidgeting at his jacket.

"Again…,"Tsukune gave a quiet sigh of frustration and did his collar again. It was impossible! It had a habit of messing up! The green jacket was too tight, too green, and too formal!

Tsukune had a dejected look. It wasn't that he didn't want to be at school. He just didn't plan for it. He didn't plan to make it to high school. He didn't even need to flunk entry exams to be certain he was hopeless. He was already awful at academics. His scholastic achievements were nonexistent and he wasn't an all-star athlete by a long shot. He had no qualifications whatsoever, but he was so happy when his Dad got an acceptance letter. His entire life was given another chance!

Now? He didn't know. He was apprehensive for the jump, but he stepped forward and started to walk the trail. If he didn't make it, at least he wouldn't be disappointed.

"I wonder why the bus stop is two miles from the academy," Tsukune thought aloud. The trail was completely barren and despite the lack of healthy foliage, overshadowed with branches. Visibility wasn't hampered with morning dew or fog, but darkness. Tsukune lifted his head and cleared his head from daydreaming. _What is that?_

Under an isolated shaft of sunlight, a bicycle and student were twisted as if to imitate the trees surrounding them. Tsukune quickly rushed to the student's side. His eyes widened slightly when he caught a glimpse. _She looks ill…_

Pink hair was very alien, but it was here pale complexion and slack decorum that caught him off guard. She looked as if she'd been awake for a week! The only lines and bruises that lined her flawless skin were under her eyes. 'Obvious symptoms of exhaustion,' Tsukune noted. She may have been peddling too hard. Then again…

_She couldn't have brought that bike on the bus with her, she'd have to peddle here_. He didn't need to be out in the open to tell that the closest human settlement was beyond the horizon.

He gently lifted and untangled her from the bike, sitting her upright in order to try and wake her, but her shoulders slumped over a bit. "Hey, do you need any help?" She fluttered her eyelids but kept them lazily squinted, and mouthed one word. "Thirsty…," her voice was a raspy whisper.

Tsukune frowned a bit. She was obviously sick and dehydrated. _Thirsty…_

He delved into his pack to find his spare soda. Anything would do, right? He poked two holes in his can and held it in front of her mouth, tilting the beverage slightly. She grabbed his hand with hers, tilting the can away, and took a hold of his wrist with her other. A second wind filled her as she promptly leaned into his arm and put her mouth over his skin, and he felt her suck on his the inside of his forearm.

"Hey, cut it out!" he tried to pull away but she seemed stronger than he realized. She effortlessly wrestled him down, getting dirt on his jacket!

He didn't resist any longer, she simply kept her mouth on his skin, holding his hand up. Tsukune gave a gasp of realization, as the lines under her eyes seemed to disappear. Her face was unnaturally smooth and beautiful, but her skin! Her skin still kept the sickly pale shade, but her weariness lifted from her face and she suddenly looked healthy, even for someone who was just unconscious! Her eyes fluttered again, fully opening as she collected her wits. She took notice of him last, moving her eyes in every which direction before slowly landing on the his wrist. She licked the resulting bruise slowly and removed her grip.

The effect was immediate, Tsukune stood up and pointed his finger at her accusingly, but words died on his lips as he noticed the two small spots and slight bruise on his the back of his arm. _I didn't feel a thing._

"I'm so sorry, mister!" she stood and waved her arms around comically, "I was peddling to school but I suffer from anemia if I go too long without feeding…" her voice died off suddenly, and she looked at his hand. Her cheeks flushed in memory of what just happened, but she lowered her head again, grabbing her arm with her other hand and looking like a kicked puppy. Tsukune silently admitted she looked adorable, but his head was still reeling from his new hickey. The last thing he wanted were strangers giving him love bites, no matter how pretty and… endearing they looked.

"You don't have a problem with vampires, do you?" she peaked under her bangs and stared into his eyes. _Vampires, huh?_

"Different strokes for different folks I guess. Vampires are all right." Tsukune had heard enough to tell that the girl was into fantasy. She seemed to be just a tad eccentric, but he knew people had their hobbies and interests after all, no matter how strange.

Her eyes lit up and she tackled him at least five feet in the air before landing on the ground again, this time with the pink haired girl gushing with affection.

"I knew I'd make friends here!" she exclaimed happily. Her arms were squeezing him so tight he felt as if he was going to burst. She was **excessively** strong, or maybe he wasn't familiar to being hugged. He just let his arms rest on the ground and went slack, his brain not quite functioning correctly, probably from lack of oxygen to his head, he silently concluded.

She seemed to pull back as if in trepidation, her arms unraveling around him and her hands gripping his lapels. "Do you want to be my friend?" she asked shyly, and Tsukune thought of his options.

In all honestly, he thought he may have cracked a rib, he lay back and contemplated saying 'no' for just a second, then shook his head at himself and smirked. _I must be nuts, she's gorgeous_! He had to prevent personal injury, so he just gave a genuine grin, "I have no problem being your friend, but don't-" her arms wrapped around him too fast and he found his lungs emptying on the spot. He couldn't finish his request before she began gushing again.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she repeated and squeezed the living daylights out of him. _Can't… breathe… need… air…_ He made a feeble effort to push her shoulders off him and she quickly let go and stood up, offering him her hand.

Tsukune took a deep breath, refilling his lungs with precious air. He took her hand with a nod of his head and dusted his uniform off. She giggled and moved her arms towards his jacket and for a second, Tsukune closed his eyes as if expecting another painful embrace, but after a few silent seconds, he opened them again.

"Your collar was messed up, silly!" she giggled and walked over to her bike to pick it up.

"My name is Moka by the way. Moka Akashiya!" she walked her bike over beside him.

"Uh… Hey Moka," Tsukune was fidgeting now, but remedied the awkward situation immediately, "My name- it's Tsukune Aono." He rubbed the back of his head with his hand. _It sure is hard to talk to someone so out of my league_. He felt guilt wash over him, he really wasn't the kind of kid she should be hanging around. Then again, he was confident he'd flunk out soon enough. He cheered up fast.

"Hey, listen Moka, do you want to walk with me to school?" he offered politely. He felt a bit strange being cordial, but he was making an honest effort to fit in here, and he didn't want any enemies since he was out of his element. He didn't know of a single person who knew about this school.

"Oh, I wasn't planning on riding away!" she smiled again and Tsukune began his march to class with Moka. The eerie atmosphere of the school grounds quietly lifted and Tsukune found himself at ease knowing he found someone to be his friend at this strange new school of his. He was too involved in his conversation to notice the gemmed rosary around Moka's neck.


	2. Elephants in the Room

Chapter 2 | Elephants in the Room

_ Tsukune couldn't feel the sheets around him, but he knew they were there. The room was sterile white and the only indication of time passing was the steady ticking of the clock and the mechanical beeps that synchronized with the beating of his heart._

_ He couldn't hear her voice, but he knew she was here. One hundred feet of water seemed to separate them, but sitting by his side, oblivious to how distorted her voice was in his mind was Kyouko…_

_ She grasped the sheets of the bed. It was obvious Tsukune needed her now. She found it silly, being out late at night. She found it silly that he had forsaken his family's wants and ambitions to be someone who he couldn't be._

_ He wasn't made for this. He was going to die._

_ He could feel moisture on his sleeve. Although he couldn't hear or see, those tears communicated everything Kyouko felt. Everything his loved ones felt. It was at the climax that their worry became visible, he just hoped it wasn't too late._

"Aono, Tsukune?" the teacher called out again, peaking over the students through her red-framed glasses. Two tufts of blonde hair discontent from conforming to the rest stood haphazardly in the air, twitching in response to the lack of his voice.

Tsukune shook his head as if to clear his head, lost in thought again. "H-here!" he stood up to make himself visible.

"Thank you, Mister Aono," Miss Nekonome proceeded to mark his name off her clipboard.

Tsukune sat down again. He found new respect for his classmates. The morning atmosphere was so oppressive he actually had to leave Moka behind, and like that, the envious glares that screamed pain disappeared entirely. He felt regretful that he had broken away from Moka. Even without that oppressive atmosphere, the school remained an incredibly disheartening place. Even with the glares and envy of his classmates, being with Moka was similar to facing the dark with your childhood friend. Company made everyone more comfortable.

"Akashiya, Moka?" the teacher peaked over the clipboard again.

Tsukune gave a glance to the only empty seat in the classroom, the one directly behind him. 'That's convenient,' he thought with a smirk turned to the windowed wall on his immediate left.

"Sorry, I must be late."

There aren't a lot of powers in the world that can silence a freshman classroom, but Moka's angelic voice was unique. Pink hair framed a pale face as she looked in the classroom, her body still on the other side of the doorway. _She looks uncertain._

"Are you Akashiya Moka, my dear?" the teacher smiled politely. Tsukune nodded his head as Moka slowly came in the room, quietly clicking the door behind her. He thought himself cruel for nearly smiling at her attempt at being discreet and quiet in a room where all eyes and ears were targeting her specifically. She had failed miserably if that was her intention.

She bobbed her head to the teacher, who gestured her hand to the rear corner of the class. The pinkette smiling slightly as she walked to her desk, her eyes landing on Tsukune's after only a moment.

She breathed in quickly and hurried next to Tsukune's desk, holding her suitcase with both hands behind her back. "I'm so happy we could be in class together, Tsukune!"

And just like that, the males of the room looked at him oppressively. He just shrunk in his seat and waved his hand. "Nice to see you a-again," he stuttered. Then inwardly shook his head at himself. This is High School and he had to get used to it!

Moka took her seat with a smile on her face as the teacher started her first lesson.

"Welcome to Yokai Academy!" the teacher exclaimed excitedly. She radiated comfort, which formed an invisible dichotomy to her students' aggression. Tsukune found himself more at ease as she continued to introduce herself.

"My name is, if you don't already know, Shizuka Nekonome. This is my first year as a teacher here, so I'm new here just like you all are," she ended on a high note. She pointed her ruler to the blackboard behind her, tracing itself around a drawing of the planet.

"As you already know, Yokai Academy is a place where monsters can learn to coexist with humans."

Tsukune chuckled. He wondered if his homeroom was a psychology class. The classmate beside him, Saizou Komiya, also chuckled, but it was mocking in tone and he shook his head in obvious disgust.

"Why would we try to coexist with humans," the word 'human' coming out with abhorrence, ", they're fodder." He turned his eyes on Tsukune, who felt every hair on his body stand up as the teen glared at him. _Something is wrong…_

Miss Nekonome frowned, but shook her head. "If all of us were like you, Mister Komiya, we'd have all died a long time ago. Humans outnumber us ten-thousand to one," she explained with her chin raised.

Tsukune felt Saizou's gaze and he lowered his head. He wasn't sure if this was all happening. Contrary to popular belief, Tsukune wasn't gullible, but the school, the students, the faculty! It was all unnatural!

Then, Tsukune relaxed. He could believe these people were unnatural, but they looked human enough. He kept his head down and slacked his shoulders, appearing disinterested and nonchalant about the classroom around him. _This is familiar…_

"Are humans here too?" Saizou's question was sensible enough in Tsukune's eyes- or ears- but the Miss Nekonome laughed.

"Not a chance, Miss Komiya. The barrier around this entire realm would keep any human out. It's like bug repellant." Saizou let out a grunt, but he seemed discontent to let the matter be.

"It smells like a human…," he muttered under his breath.

Tsukune had felt scared and defenseless before, and he knew what could come of it. He hurried out of the classroom and down the hall once the bell rang, zoning out the noise and his surroundings. All that mattered was getting somewhere quiet, fast. He took a sharp right and exited the school building. Most of the students would be going to lunch; he went the complete opposite direction, leaning against the wall of the courtyard as far from the other students as possible.

_High School_. It was supposed to be his lifeboat. Now the lifeboat had a hole in the bottom and the sinking ship that was his previous life was completely submerged.

Where was he supposed to go if either choice meant drowning? He saw pink in the corner of his vision.

"Tsukune?" Moka started to walk towards him as if he were a scared animal. _Which I am…_

"Aren't you hungry, Moka?" he met her gaze perfectly, trying to appear confident and calm. She just gave a timid smile and put both of her hands behind her back.

"I didn't want to eat alone…," she glanced through her pink bangs._ She couldn't be a monster…_

"I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't. Let's just eat here though, okay?" he wasn't eager to meet with his peers anytime soon, but if he appeared too different he'd be singled out. Eating with Moka might be the perfect cover, right?

'I'm an idiot,' he thought as Moka took her place beside him, holding her iconic suitcase in front of him and giving a genuine smile. She'd bring more attention to him than anything else. They advanced slowly into the now abandoned hallway, making their way to the café.

_Our teacher didn't seem to hold the same animosity for humans as Saizou did. What do you think, Moka? _He continued walking, but broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Moka, what is your opinion on humans?" He saw her stop in surprise.

She gave a slight frown. It seemed she didn't think very highly of them. Tsukune felt a bit wary as it was, but the last thing he wanted to do was lose his only companion at this strange new school.

"Humans… humans are terrible creatures." She was adamant, but she went on, "I actually went to a human school as a child." Her face lost emotion as she thought back, then she shook her head, "They're all miserable people who try to belittle others because they're different."

Tsukune never found a more accurate summary of _some _people he had met, but _his_ family was nice enough. It made sense; her shy demeanor was a result of her time in with humans. She seemed open now that they were 'friends', however. _She thinks I'm a monster…_

She gave a giggle and grabbed his hand.

"It's a good thing you're not a human though, huh!" she gave a grin and led him onwards through the hall. "Let's go get something to eat, Tsukune!"

* * *

**Author's Note**

**DoomKnight1of24 **-Thanks, I really appreciate it. I don't really write as a hobby or anything. I just thought I should try it, your response spurred me to write this chapter as well. If you want to help, I only ask that you critique me as well as you can. I'd like to try to appeal to the reader's tastes. That's all I really ask from any of my potential reviewers.


	3. Fix You

Chapter 3 | Fix You

Tsukune walked next to Moka in uncomfortable silence. Well, it was uncomfortable to him. Getting lunch with Moka wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be. It was true that other students could be envious, but none approached. Tsukune's luck ran out quickly when they returned to the now heavily inhabited courtyard. The couple began to climb a final flight of stairs to the roof with their drinks, both had long finished their food on foot.

"Tsukune, what kind of monster are you?"

_What kind of monster am I? _Tsukune felt a bead of sweat drip from his forehead.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Moka interrupted. "We're not supposed to reveal our monster identities, are we?" She lowered her head and smiled sheepishly, gracefully sliding her hand up the rail as they proceeded to the rooftop.

"Yeah, coexisting with humans and all that," Tsukune drawled half-heartedly. Moka nodded her head in agreement.

"You already know what I am though, it's alright." Moka goaded slightly a bit and opened the door.

_I don't know what you are, Moka. _

Light flooded the dark stairwell and the couple walked out to the rooftops. The Academy roof ran right above the classrooms with white stone tile. The edges were a waist-high stone fence to keep clumsy students from tripping over the edge. The couple settled for standing next to the edge, watching students congregate around lunch tables and trees. They finished their drinks in silence, Tsukune mulling over what Moka said.

"You won't persuade me so easily," Tsukune smiled at her pout. Moka turned back to look over the courtyard.

"Besides," Tsukune continued, "I don't know what you are either, Moka."

She blushed and abruptly stared at him, looking bothered.

"What do you mean, do you not remember!?" she said a bit loudly.

Tsukune started to rub the back of his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Moka. Did you tell me and I forget?"

"You said you didn't have a problem with vampires!" she accused, pointing to his wrist.

_ Oh, I see._

"Oh, of course…," Tsukune rubbed his hickey with his other hand, it didn't sting anymore. He was bitten with a vampire, but he didn't feel faint or anything, she obviously didn't drain him dry. _ That's what she meant when she said she didn't feed. It makes sense at least…_

"By the way, thanks for letting me feed earlier, I don't know where I would be if you just left me there…," she trailed off in a quiet, but grateful tone, holding her sides and staring at his wrist, smiling. Tsukune noted how different she seemed from the vampires he thought he knew.

"Uh, Moka? I'm not going to turn into a vampire, am I?" he grabbed his wrist in defense, but kept a playful smile on his face. _It's hard trying to not step on toes when I don't know anything about her._

Moka giggled and covered her smile, something he said must've been funny.

"Oh silly, you've never heard of real vampires before, have you?" she asked nicely, eager to help educate him in whatever he needed to know.

"I take it I won't turn into a vampire then?" he pretended to be worried.

"Nope!" she concluded with her finger pointing up and her eyes closed. "Vampires can't turn others into vampires, which only happens in the movies!"

"I like your Miss Nekonome impression, go on," he teased slightly. He was interested though, so he showed her she had his rapt attention by turning to face her. Moka smirked slightly, but continued.

"Vampires are one of the strongest races out there. We have crimson eyes, silver hair, and razor sharp fangs that rend the flesh from our foes!" she put her hands up to imitate claws of some kind, but it looked more adorable than intimidating. Tsukune raised his hand silently, hoping to catch her attention but not willing to speak up in fear of stopping her educating but seemingly false lesson.

Moka put her hands down her hands down. "Well, we don't rend flesh from our foes with our fangs," she corrected herself. She took notice of his raised arm. "Yes, Tsukune?"

"Moka, you don't feel intimidating at all, I'm more at comfort with you than anyone else." Tsukune jumped a bit as Moka's rosary flashed red, but he just concluded it was the sunlight playing tricks with him.

"Oh, I feel at comfort with you too, Tsukune!" she put her finger back in the air, resuming her Miss Nekonome impression. "Anything else, Tsukune?" _She feels at comfort with me because I AM weak._

"You don't have silver hair or red eyes either, and I can't really see your fangs," he said with a deadpan expression. Honestly, he felt like this was all one big joke.

She paused for a moment, before opening her mouth slightly. Sure enough, two incisors stuck out and curved slightly inwards. He just nodded and crossed his arms.

"Moka, you have pink hair and bright green eyes." Tsukune's tone was confused. Was this a test?

"Is that an insult?" she lowered her head slightly and frowned, her bangs covering her eyes.

Tsukune put his hands up defensively, "No, of course not! You're pretty, but you don't look like a vampire!" Moka's rosary flashed a bright red again.

"You don't look like a monster either, Tsukune." Moka inched closer, going off on a tangent and ignoring his question. "Just what are you, then?" she leaned into his personal space just a bit, sniffing his jacket. She immediately recoiled. Tsukune turned his head downwards and smelled his jacket. _Nothing_.

"You smell intoxicating, Tsukune. It's much stronger up close," she said breathlessly. She had the decency to look embarrassed. Tsukune was uncomfortable, but tried to play his part.

"If I smell good, how do I taste?" he joked.

She stiffened and he had immediately thought stepped over some invisible line, but she relaxed a bit later.

"Addictive…," she admitted.

Distance, he needed distance. No matter how human she tried to look, she was entirely different, and Tsukune could _not_ understand her. He inched a bit away, and she immediately spun towards him.

"I promise I won't lose control again!" She almost had tears coming down her face. Tsukune felt like he kicked a puppy. _Damn._

"I'm the idiot, Moka," he apologized. "You needed the blood; you said you collapsed from Anemia. I'd be cruel to let you go without." Tsukune finally caught himself from offering anymore. Her hurt expression makes for such a pitiable site. It's difficult to not offer his blood, but he doesn't want to risk his health either.

She blushed, but took a step back as well. _Did I do something wrong?_

"You do smell delicious, though, Tsukune. It's almost difficult to be around you," she deftly got on her knees and pulled another can of tomato juice from her suitcase. Upon his questioning gaze, she merely shrugged. "It's a good blood substitute," she explained. Moka stood up and quickly chugged the can.

"Moka, how much blood did you drain from me?" he asked. He felt selfish, but he didn't want to risk his health.

She put her finger to her lip as if in deep thought. "I really don't know, Tsukune. I was unconscious for the most part. I just remember how my mouth tasted after I woke up." Her eyes almost sparkled as her imagination was let free, but she quickly bowed her head. "Did you feel faint, Tsukune?"

No, she bit the back of his wrist and only lightly sucked, she couldn't have taken much. He was still wary as it is. If she found it his presence intolerable, she might leave him alone in this school of monsters. He hated to admit it, but even a school of monsters was safer than his human town.

"No, I don't feel faint," he rolled his jacket and undershirt sleeve up slightly to reveal his wrist again. He gulped. He made a silent prayer that he would not regret this later. He extended his exposed skin to Moka, who looked paler than usual.

"Moka, if you promise to only take _very_ little," he put emphasis on little, "I promise you can have a drink. I don't want to be your burden." He tried to finish it politely, but to be honest, he felt safe in her presence. Well, _safer_. He had yet to feel truly safe since he had been here. And **that** scared him most of all. He was scared that a lunch period was all it had taken for this pink haired beauty to persuade him into giving up his blood.

Moka took a step back, "Tsukune, you're not a burden. How could you think that?" She sounded hurt, maybe he tried too hard?

"Moka, it's obvious you didn't get enough this morning and you're suffering because of it. I don't want you to stay away from me because you're thirsty." Tsukune mentally shook his head at what he was saying. Honestly, she had flipped this entire situation around. He did feel nicer knowing she didn't think of him as fodder though, remembering what Saizou had said earlier in class.

"I don't want you to stop being my friend because of my selfishness…," she trailed softly, grabbing her arm and looking down. He couldn't see her eyes, but he could see the tip of her left fang from her frown. He desperately tried to empathize with her, for just a moment. He needed to understand.

_She looks conflicted_.

"Moka, I'm not going to stop being your friend because of what you _are_," she looked up at his eyes. Yes, that was what he wanted. He wanted her to be happy.

She inched closer and he bent his arm in front of him, laying the inside of his wrist out like a platter between them. Tsukune had butterflies in his stomach, but he clenched his jaw as she grabbed his hand and his forearm, placing her mouth over his skin, even giving an involuntary groan.

It didn't hurt, even with her elongated fangs, he didn't feel a thing. She sucked the inside of his wrist softly and closed her eyes. He felt like a menu item, but he kept his opinion to himself, lest he drive her away._ This wasn't so bad, now was it_.

She removed her mouth eventually, licking the bite with what seemed an unnaturally long tongue, but he couldn't have been sure.

"I hope your saliva is a natural coagulant and that wasn't just for show, Moka," he teased jokingly. He felt uncomfortable –not because it was painful, it wasn't – but it felt a bit too personal for him.

She just stood there for a moment, eventually fluttering her eyelids open. "I'm sorry, what Tsukune?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh Tsukune, I don't think I'll be able to stomach transfusion packs after that…," she smiled and looked down. Was she apologizing?

"How often do you need blood?" he asked wearily.

"Every few days I guess…," she held her other arm and looked down again, but her eyes were hopeful. They shined through her bangs no matter how much she tried to fool him. He couldn't help but smile.

"I wouldn't mind every few days, Moka." He was relieved she needed blood only sparingly.

The bell rang in the silence that followed. She looked looked down and he was worried he said something wrong. He saw a few tears touching the floor beneath her. He felt bad for using her company like this, but that wasn't entirely the case, was it? She was still his friend, even if she was a blood-sucking vampire.

"I'm so happy…," she sobbed a bit at first and the tears stopped coming. She walked in a bit and gave him a what one could call a light embrace. For Tsukune, it was still incredibly tight, but for her it was probably by accident. He was happy he could at least make her somewhat happy now.

"I'm so happy I could make a friend here… even if it took this long…," Tsukune mentally groaned but returned the embrace. She didn't care about the blood as much as she cared about their friendship. How was she treated in her childhood to make her like this? They broke apart eventually, and Tsukune took a step back and turned halfway to the door.

"Come on Moka, let's go to class," he offered politely. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and they walked with each other in comfortable silence, neither one wanting to ruin a moment. For once, his peers' stares did not affect him in the slightest. Maybe she did seem tame when compared to the others, but he felt truly safe for the first time since he had gotten to the academy.

* * *

**Author's Note**

******DoomKnight1of24** - Noted. I understand the chapters may be short as of the moment. I don't want to turn espresso into coffee. Maybe when I have more to work with, I'll stretch it out more. This chapter is a little longer, I hope I can put more lengthy content in as I go. Perhaps I'll even get to five thousand words a chapter!


	4. I Have Needs

Chapter 4 | I Have Needs

The school day finished off relatively tame. Math class was more difficult and Tsukune was already loaded with more homework than he could comfortably manage. The last bell of the day rang as he left his Math class with Moka. He found himself incredibly fortunate that she was in every one of his classes. The couple began to walk to the dorms, weary from the first day at the academy.

The path to the dorms was similar to the path to and from the bus stop. A long winding grey path and rotted wood bathed in golden shafts of sunlight. The path more crowded, obviously. Students that didn't have extracurricular activities or staying with teachers were all walking back to their dorm rooms. Tsukune had yet to visit his dorm.

The dorms steadily came into view, peaking right over the trees the trail ran along as it turned gracefully between the two buildings. Tsukune noted how rotted and old-fashioned the buildings were. It wasn't just throwback architecture, the buildings and the academy really were old.

"This academy doesn't look like anything in the human world, that's for sure…," Tsukune thought aloud.

"I think it has character," Moka said softly. She walked with her suitcase held in front of her with two hands.

"This academy definitely has character, and a history. How long has it been in service?"

Moka tilted her head to the side, then to the other. "I don't actually know, Tsukune…"

Tsukune was actually surprised she _didn't_ know something. She had consistently offered helpful information about the academy and monsters in general when he needed it. For someone who apparently grew up in the human world, she could still tell him much about monsters. _How strange, to know something about creatures that you have hardly ever met._

Was he thinking about her? Or himself? He didn't know, but he knew that she had spent most of her conscious life around humans. It didn't take any real thought to draw parallels from Moka and him. She had went to schools around people different from her. Now he was going to a school full of monsters, the only difference is that they can severely hurt him.

'Physically,' he corrected mentally. She seemed a bit jaded as it was, but between those few and brief moments of vulnerability, she was actually more affectionate and genuine than any human he had ever met. _She thinks I'm a monster._

They split at the fork between the two buildings after a brief goodbye. Tsukune wanted to check his room, see what things Kyouko packed. Then, he would probably wait until school grounds got empty enough to sneak into the library. He headed upstairs and walked to his room door, turning the knob and opening the door. The inside of the dorm building was much more modern than the exterior, and the dorm itself was endowed with standard utilities. A makeshift oven and stovetop, a small fridge, and counter space made up a kitchenette. The room's color was white and blue; it was plain. _Plain… I like plain_.

In the last few hours he had been surrounded by monsters, it was glad to know at least part of this school was normal. His suitcases and bags were sat on top of his bed. He did a brief inventory for clothes, and slid most of the bags off the foot of the bed. He could pack later, he concluded. Now would be a good time for research. The sun was now steadily lowering over the horizon and a dark night engulfed the campus.

Tsukune took a quiet step out of his door. The hall was empty and quiet and he made his way down the hall and down the stairs. Most of the school was already asleep, and the ones that weren't asleep were probably in their dorms anyways. Tsukune admitted what he was doing was incredibly brave, but if he didn't do this now, he would be at a disadvantage later. It would be best to do this while students had no reason to up afterhours.

Stepping through the dorm building door, he snuck around the back of the dorm building and crept his way to the school library building. He abandoned the path and cut straight through the forest, making good time and avoiding potential enemies. The school library was its own cut off room. The entrances of said library were two large doors were along the edge of the school building, facing the dorms. When the doors came into sight, Tsukune hesitated. If he were going to survive here, he needed to know his peers. That was secondary, however. He needed to know more about _vampires_ and the _academy_.

Tsukune crouched behind a small greyish brush. The night sky was bleak and cloudy, but the moon shown in a brilliant porcelain white. He glanced left… right… and he made a dash for the library entrance. Hopefully, the library was unoccupied.

The library door opened with ease. Tsukune noted that he was still uncomfortable without Moka, even while alone. This school just had that power over him. The library was a relatively simple, square room with a row of tables near the doors, and several aisles of books downwards. On the other side lay the librarian's desk and an extra set of doors into the school. _Not over there_. Tsukune began to search for a reference section of some sort.

While Tsukune poured over the contents of the library, commonly finding interesting but useless books. Monsters had their share of fiction, and he had saw human published books here as well. Tsukune was wandering the aisle, patiently glossing over titles on the spines of books. The immense sizes of these shelves and the sheer amount of books almost made him dizzy. There wasn't even a system for organization. Books were haphazardly thrown on the shelves and there was neither common theme nor an alphabetical order to any of them. Tsukune just couldn't pinpoint a good reference book on monster species, so he began to wander over to the librarian's desk.

He had been here for nearly an hour, and sunk into the chair behind the desk in defeat. This school was impossible. Moka had been in the company of humans her entire life. Now? She tossed information that is so detailed and seemingly random almost constantly. Tsukune appreciated it, she seemed to pick up that he didn't have much background knowledge on monsters. Now, he needed to know about vampires, and Moka could only be relied on so much. Whenever he asked about her, she would ask about him. He even doubted the validity of her description of vampires. He needed source material not only on her, but on every monster species he could encounter. He kicked his feet on the librarian's desk.

"Mister Aono?"-

Tsukune yelped and comically fell out of the seat and face down into the tile.

Above him was a man, not much taller than Tsukune but much more intimidating. He stood cloaked in a weathered tan robe and beneath his hood lie only the rough silhouette of his face and two, glowing orbs for eyes. The contours of his mouth formed a very, very toothy grin.

Tsukune stood up and sprinted for the exit on the other side of the library. He didn't look back. The man was an adult, but Tsukune did not take chances. His chance of survival against students was slim enough, but this man exuded an even more powerful aura. Tsukune kicked the door open in his rush, but had to stop short as another robed man came put his hand on his chest. Tsukune fell down backwards while the man's arm remained stout and unmoved.

"Do you know it is against school rules to be out after dark?" the robed man talked with his grin still toothy and wide.

The smartass in Tsukune spoke up involuntarily, "Well, I usually break the rules that make the least sense…heh." The comment trailed into a pathetic high pitch note. It almost sounded as if he were asking a question.

The robed man did not find humor, and his toothy grin contorted into a frown, albeit slight.

"What were you looking for, maybe I could help you find it?"

"Oh, I was really just going. Really," The man seemed to grow taller and taller than he looked before, while Tsukune seemed to shrink.

"Do you know who I am, boy?" He leaned over just a bit, hovering over Tsukune's body and coming within inches of Tsukune's face.

Tsukune could feel it. He could feel his heartbeat. He could feel death around the metaphorical corner and he shook his head quickly.

"I- I really don't, sir," Tsukune stammered.

The grin came back in full force and the man straightened up again. Tsukune got on his knees and quickly bowed his head in forgiveness.

"What are you apologizing for, Mister Aono?" The man's tone was annoyed. He walked back to the library door and opened it. "It is as you said, the useless rules are the ones that are broken."

Tsukune gradually came up, not knowing whether to run. The man caught his glance back to the dorms and chuckled in amusement.

"What will you have accomplished if you leave now?" It was less of a question and more like persuasion.

"Who are you, sir?" The man gave another frown.

"You're being awfully brave." _Right, point taken._

Tsukune walked into the library faster than he probably needed to. The robed man put his smile back on and almost glided to the shelf to the farthest left of the room. He didn't even glance at the shelf as his hand pulled out a large book similar to a dictionary.

"This, is what I assume you were looking for?" He flung the book over to Tsukune who initially fumbled the large tome before catching it inches from the ground. He got to his knees rather clumsily and glanced inside the blank cover, finding 'Bestiary of Sentient Creatures: Demons and Monsters' labeled in bold print.

Tsukune didn't feel any ill-will coming from the man, so he was able to give a grin and whisper, "Thank you." He quickly closed it and stood up, holding it with both arms crossed. It was rather heavy and cumbersome, as it was difficult to fit his teenager hands around.

"You don't need to check it out, consider it a gift. You'll _need_ it." The man smiled at him, his eyes glowing even more so than before. Tsukune's body, of its own volition, took a step back. He was already slightly cautious despite the gift, now he was terrified. This man was not one to be trifled with. The robed man smiled more broadly at his fear. It was good he was afraid.

"At least you have sense, boy. You will need to get back to the dorms now, won't you," he leaned down again, but he was still several meters away from Tsukune, "run boy."

Tsukune backed up less steadily than he would've liked. The man just frowned. "You need to get cardio if you're going to stay here, you're going to be doing a lot of running." The robed man took a step forward, his step much louder than it should've been, even in the quiet room.

Tsukune didn't spare a look as he turned around and ran. The heavy tome didn't slow him down at all as he propelled through the woods, even jumping over small bushes and tombstones without thought. His body ran on instinct, and far be it him to argue with instinct in a place like this.

Tsukune found time almost pass by instantly as he shot up the dorm stairway and into his room, even laying on the bed backwards and tossing the book to the side.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**DoomKnight1of24 **- I've actually spent the last few days writing the plot down and I think I have a rough idea of where I want to go and how I want it to end. Yes, I think it will be good. It will definitely be different from canon in some respects. I don't think it will have an ending that is happy, but it will definitely be good and thought-provoking. This is of course by my standards and I don't have much to compare with.

**Guest 7/22/13 . chapter 3** - "One step at a time my man. Is the pairing going to be moka and Tsukune? Or better yet harem!?" - It is planned as a Moka and Tsukune pairing, but romance is probably far away at the moment. I actually wanted to focus more on the world around them instead of just them at the moment, but heavy romance later on, yes. I could do a harem, but I don't think the ending will be anywhere NEAR as good if that were the case.

**The Shinso Ghoul Aono** - That was the goal : )

**voidblade6** - Thanks, it means a lot. The reviews are more important to me than favorites and follows because they let me get input from the audience. Feel free to give me even small complaints if you think I can fix them in the short/long run. I've never done something like this before.


	5. I Can't Read Much

Chapter 5 | I Can't Read Much

The blue shafts of moonlight, which peaked through Tsukune's curtains dimly, illuminated the small room. His luggage lay thrown carelessly along the edge of the bed. Tsukune was heaving air fast. He forced himself to slow down from fear of passing out of hyperventilation. He didn't know if was being an hypochondriac or if were just really, _really_ out of shape!

Moments passed as he caught his breath, he sat up on his bed fast, took a glance out the window next to him, and closed the curtains. He felt a bit paranoid, but there wasn't much else he could do. He had never thought he would have to read such an expansive book. He sat the tome on the bed and skimmed the pages.

_Well, first things first…_

Tsukune did a double take as he realized the monsters weren't ordered alphabetically, but by their rank. Starting with S and continuing down to D. _If what Moka said was true…_ he flipped the page to the S-Rank section and found vampires a few pages later. Obviously, she was at least telling some of the truth.

Tsukune remembered the description: Silver hair, crimson eyes, and fangs. What he didn't know was that vampires had classifications beyond just 'vampire'. Only the most pure bred vampires had silver hair. Crimson eyes also weren't a necessity. That didn't necessarily mean the strongest, however. Vampire appearances varied regardless of their strength.

As far as Tsukune knew, Moka had pink hair. That _did not _disprove her status as a vampire, however.

'Vampires had fangs and only had to feed every few days, but as time goes on the thirst can become uncontrollable and the vampire may become frenzied. With enough control, it was possible to resist the thirst. Starvation in vampires was nigh impossible, however. Even the weak vampires could remain conscious for weeks…'

That didn't quite explain how Moka passed out from Anemia. Perhaps she was unique. Tsukune smiled fondly as he remembered her lesson. _Rend the flesh from your foes, heh._

Moka couldn't harm a fly, much less rend flesh or go a month without blood. Tsukune continued, learning about power classification of vampires and different clans. Strangely, Akashiya wasn't among them. _Another dead end._

Tsukune was almost satisfied enough to close the book and write Moka off as 'not a vampire' when his eyes eventually glanced over the Seal section.

'Strong monsters often wear seals, vampires being among of the handful of species that require a seal to appear human, and can't simply resort to elementary mysticism...'

That explained more than it probably meant to. Monsters populated the school but they all appeared human. Tsukune continued…

'…seals are often rosaries shaped in crosses. It should be noted that vampires are actually predisposed to crosses for rosaries as of the printing of this book. These seals only change the Youkai level and may alter appearance such as body shape, height, weight, and tone. These seals do not alter anything other than their Yokai level and physical features…'

Tsukune didn't know what a 'Youkai level' was. He was going to be reading this for quite a bit.

'Vampires are (like other Youkai that are S-rank) capable of changing their physical form to whatever they have an affinity to. This form is not genetic. You can find a comprehensive appendix containing the forms a vampire can shape shift into at the back of this book…'

Tsukune tipped the book off the side of the bed. _Useless_. He hadn't gotten much, but he remembered the ruby rosary around Moka's neck. She felt tame because she was tame. She was stronger underneath the rosary, he'd just have to remove it if he felt he were in trouble. Would she let him? Would he be able to?

"Too much…," Tsukune groaned as he flipped on his stomach and fell into a quick slumber. He would look over it tomorrow, books were tedious and he had sleeping to do.

* * *

**Author's Note**

This chapter, minus this author's note, came out to be 666 words total. I thought that was interesting. These last two chapters may not be very interesting but they actually did two very useful things. They revealed that the Headmaster and they gave Tsukune some sort of bestiary. They may be boring, but they accomplish what I wanted them to.

The next two chapters will. be. great. I'm pretty stoked, they'll probably answer a lot more questions than all of the last chapters combined. It'll also point out the key difference of Moka and Tsukune and how it has affected both of them as they have gotten older. (That might be a spoiler, I dunno)


	6. Alone

Chapter 6 | Alone

_A nine-year-old Moka sat inanimately on a swing, staring forlornly at the schoolchildren playing across the field. This was typical, she never asked for attention anymore, and thankfully almost never got it. Being alone was better than being hurt._

_ She would occasionally kick a small rock underneath her foot or play with the rosary around her neck. She would do anything to pass the time. She still wrote to Daddy, hoping maybe he would answer her pleas and pull her out of this god-forsaken __**human**__ school._

'_Humans,' she thought bitterly. How could a race be so weak and still so cruel?_

_ She had tried to get along, she really had! What she had gotten was anything but friendship. She was set apart from the others because she was different. They ostracized her because her hair was pink, she was too tall, or she was too __**smart**__!_

_ She twirled a bit of her bubblegum hair with her fingers, wishing it were brown. She looked at her legs, hoping they would not grow longer. She even wished she were stupid, just so she could. No one deserves hatred for being __**better**__._

_ Even now, she wished she were less impressive, just so she could not be alone anymore._

_**Alone**__._

_ She heard a call from the teacher as the students started to walk inside. Moka quickly ran across the field to open the door herself._

_ The classroom was plain white with fluorescent lights along the ceiling. A blackboard stood at the front of the classroom as the teacher began the lesson. Moka just trudged to her seat in the back corner of the class. It was easier to face your enemies when they weren't behind you._

_ The teacher droned on about a lesson that Moka found genuinely interesting, but her peers just whispered quietly, sometimes in groups. They would even point to others occasionally, exchanging gossip. Moka didn't have to worry about gossip much, people had stopped making fun of her when she disappeared. She just sat in the corner of the room, or stood at the corner of the playground._

_ "Miss Akashiya," the teacher called again, tapping his ruler on the board to catch her attention._

_ She stood up unsteadily, putting her hands on the desk for support. It wasn't physical weakness, but she hated it when the teacher called on her. Just like she hated walking in the room late or being dropped off at school from her limo._

_ She hated being the center of attention._

_ "Sir?" her voice was shaky and uncertain, but she looked to the board for validation. The teacher had written some arithmetic in chalk, and was tapping to the other side of the equation. Truthfully, the problem was simple to her, but no doubt the class found it difficult._

_ Moka stared at the expression for just a moment, before looking at the teacher. He looked desperate for someone who knew the material. The last thing Moka wanted to do was be different. She wanted to fit in! She spurted out the first number which came to mind._

_ "F-four!" Moka said, none too confident._

_ The other students didn't quite know the answer and assumed she was correct until the teacher managed to shake his head._

_ "I was hoping someone would get it, thank you for the effort, Moka," the teacher resumed his lesson._

_ "Tch, what an idiot," the girl said loudly at the front of the classroom. The girl had long black hair and was easily the least intelligent one in the class, but she was popular enough with other girls to garner their approval. "It's pretty obvious, she must be dumb or something." _

_ Or something. She could've been alluding to something, but Moka just concluded she was being witless as always, and a liar. The comment soon gained widespread approval and Moka had to bury her face into her arms, which were crossed atop her desk._

_ The bell rang about twenty minutes later, but for Moka it had been an eternity. Of course, everything here felt like an eternity. Even the times the students were supposed to have fun felt like an eternity, such as recess._

_ Moka forced herself to be happier, the last thing she needed was to be depressed. It was the end of the day, and she didn't have to be __**here**__. Maybe she could talk to the maid when she made it to the apartment!_

_ She hastily walked out of the class and headed for the office. She dodged the path most traveled so she could avoid unwanted attention. Of course, it didn't matter. Everyone headed to the office to be picked up; this school was too remote for children to walk home._

_ Once at the office, Moka slumped over against the wall away from the others._

_ "Hey Moka," a boy called out to her. He was picking on the girl from class earlier. Obviously, his friends didn't suffice as a proper audience. He didn't need bystanders. He needed support._

_ And Moka was the perfect choice._

_ 'No,' Moka mentally groaned, and audibly grunted in frustration. Now, she didn't want their attention. She wanted to be left alone. The boy was saying something, but it went in one ear and out the other._

_ "C'mon, you know she's an idiot!" The boy went on, oblivious to her torment. She continued to ignore him._

_ "Miss Akashiya," a man in a black suit quickly shooed the children away with little protest._

_ Moka wanted to be happy now, but she was terrified that she'd have to spend nine more __**years**__ with these mongrels. Oh, she wished Daddy would respond! She had even used to think vampires were just prejudiced creatures. Now?_

_ She hated humans._

_ "Miss Akashiya?" the man gripped her shoulders to pull her up, then dropped to his knees to reassure her that they'd make it to the apartment soon._

_ 'Even my servants are more aware of my plight than my own family,' Moka wailed mentally! It was awful! Sometimes she wished she could just take this rosary off and – and –_

_**Show them their place…**_

_ No, even Moka wouldn't hurt them. That would just drop her to their level. They could be miserable together, while she eventually moved on._

_ The man got up and walked with her to the limo, and even opened the door politely for the brooding child._

_ Honestly, it brought her sinful satisfaction that she would live and they would die in a measly seventy or eighty years. It was an awful thing to think, she knew, but those __**humans**__ brought out a side of her that she didn't know she even had! She hated them, abhorred them, __**loathed **__them._

_ She would for several years as well, existing with the sole purpose to avoid. She would find the only comfortable solace at her apartment with her fellow Yokai servants._

_ Then… _

_ "Oh Daddy!" She twirled in circles, keeping the letter in both her hands, extended stiffly in front of her. It was enough to bring a smile to the maid's face. It was hard to believe she was a blood-sucking aristocrat._

_ She brought the letter in to her chest. There would be no more humans, oh no!_

_ It had surprised her, with the letter's arrival. She had quite possibly sent hundreds of letters to her father, but never once had she received a reply. Obviously, he had been reading them, and had been aware of her plight._

_ It didn't matter now._

_ She was so ecstatic, the years of loneliness were over. She finally had someone she could see as an equal. That's all she's ever wanted, someone devoid of restrictions and prejudice. She could even feel the reprimanding warmth come from her rosary, but she didn't care!_

_ "Moka," the maid called out in a hushed whisper. She was packing any casual clothes she would need on the side, but with Moka's theatrics, she felt awful for having to burst her bubble._

_ Moka just hugged the letter to her chest and grinned at the maid beside her._

_ "While it is true that Ayashi are… less intolerant," the maid muttered bitterly. "I want you to know that it's probably going to be a struggle regardless. Just… be careful that you make real friends there, okay?" The maid gave the pinkette a tight hug. It was definitely overstepping professional boundaries, but the pinkette cared little for such things, and returned the hug with vigor._

Moka fluttered her lashes at the sound of her alarm clock. She always loved a happy ending, she hugged her sides and sat up. She had plenty of time to get ready, so she casually strolled to the kitchen to make breakfast. She had to keep herself well nourished, for Tsukune's sake!

_Tsukune_.

He was wonderful. She had only known him a day, but he confirmed everything she suspected. She knew the moment she came to this academy she could find a friend.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Thank you for making it through all of those italics ;)


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